Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-24
The Ladies' Window at the Porto ffice.
From he York Qup

Ihe Ladies' W Window at the POst.O ffiCe.
From the New York Sun.
The postmaster Of one Of the three great cities
that practically compose New York was spoken to
by the father Of modest young girl, but little
inclined toward rebellion because forbidden to cor
respond with young man Of her acquaintance
the parents, seeing n more letters come to the
mouse. supposed their daughter was all obedience
but she had confessed that she was still exchang-
"well," said the postmaster, "there IL is again.
that satanic ladies' window. You do not begin to
appreciate the harm 1t does But what can we do?
There must be a window, call II what you WILL
where men and women and boys and girls having
no address can call for letters addressed
simply In the care OF the post-ofice. 1t Is neces-
sary and good that the convenience be kept up NV
dear SIR. The clerk at that window In this once
is trying to lessen the harm OF that window, ana
what ne Is doing has my approval, but every such
enort Is unwarranted In law. He says to the girls
and married women who give different names to
different persons as their own names, You can
have the letters for Sarah Stewart but Won must
always be rah Stewart after this II you take
them. You cannot come tomorrow and ask for
letters for Sarah Watkins He does that, and he
holds back lots OF letters, but he has no right to
In your relatives case II she Is under age and her
parents or guardian ask US not to deliver letters
TO her we can hold them back or deliver them to
her elders, but all the women who are of age can
keep on misusing the Governments service and
there Is no lawful way to stop Them
The ladies' window also accompishes good in
many cases Woman are apt to make co.ndants
In the strangest quarters, and the consequence is
tuot tAS SfLZicu ucu dt tuOSo WINDOWS near maly
queer things when the callers are few and there s
time to talk and to listen. One OF these CONT
dences was that OF a sad-visaged wife who asked
that her letters never on any account be given TO
anyone else because" she said, "they bring me
the only money that stands between starvation
and my children and me. My husband does no
work, but drinks up all can earn with my needle
even collecting my earnings before can 20 to ct
them. LILY brother In the West sends me what me
can spare, and with that make up the rent and
get food and clothing for my little ones / do not
want TO desert my husband, but he must never
know OF this extra money that GET Then there
are the women who are secretly engaged or even
secretly married, who tell the man at the ladies'
window all about why they have taken the stem.
and what terrible consequences would follow n Il
were ever found out. Il tell you this though /
have never told any one else" one OF them ex-
planned, "because must tell some one l had TO
talk TO some one about It, and come to you be-
cause you are the one get his letters FROM One
young woman on securing q regular weekly letter
remarked one day to the clerk: "What q Jolly row
there would be II my folks knew J was getting
these letters. My sister has married a Christian
and we are Jewish, you know. She has been re.
nounced by all my family, but she and keep each
other posted every week. for she is my sister lust
the same, AMI all she did was TO marry the man
she was fond OF, after ALL Thus the ladies' win.
dow lends itself TO the best well as 70 the weak
est and the worst impulses and motives and thus
80 Tar az any one can foresee, 1t must continue 10
do as long as post-ofilces are public institutions